Peterborough’s foster care community is being strengthened through an innovative Mockingbird Hub model, with experienced carers at the heart.
Bob (70) and Kay (59), have been foster carers for around 6 years, and together for almost thirty years, recently celebrated their silver wedding anniversary, just as they were joining the hub family.
Mockingbird is an innovative programme for delivering foster care which involves foster families being part of a group of families (known as ‘satellite foster families’) to form an extended family network. At the heart of each constellation is the hub home, a specially recruited and trained foster carer who provides practical and emotional support to other carers and children in the network.
Kay explained: “We’re there to provide support for carers and children. We do that with sleepovers, playdates for children from different families, meetings in the community, trips to the zoo, going for walks, having water fights in the garden, and hot chocolates!
“We do social activities with both individual families as well as the whole constellation and we also hold a carers’ coffee morning too, sometimes at our house or out in the community.”
Since November 2025, their hub has brought together nine families and eighteen children, ranging from babies just five months old to teenagers aged seventeen.
Kay said: “It’s like a family. We step in to support foster families as extended family may do in other circumstances. Whether it’s covering a school drop-off or pick-up, attending meetings, or lending an ear to help solve a problem, we’re there for the children and the carers.
“We have fun together, eat, play, and share in the good times and the difficult ones together. It’s a support network really, how care should be, wrapped around the child, with them at the centre.”
In their constellation, Bob and Kay currently support 9 foster families. Careful thought has been given to matching families based on the age and experiences of the children so they can build meaningful friendships.
Kay added: “Socialising with children has definitely helped the children realise they are not alone in their experience of not living with their own family. It helps break down the stigma they may feel about being in care.”
Councillor Katy Cole, Cabinet Member for Children’s Services at Peterborough City Council, said: “Relationships are central to Mockingbird. The hub home carer builds strong relationships with everyone in the constellation, empowering families to support each other and overcome problems before they escalate or lead to breakdowns. This increases the protective factors around children and strengthens stability in their lives.”
Kay said: “Our girls were of an age where they were in school and settled and it felt like the right time to go for it. We have a house and garden with space for others to share in and our girls were very much onboard, we wouldn’t have done it without them being happy too.”
“Fostering has been overwhelmingly positive for us,” Kay said. “It’s made me a better parent overall as it has caused me to think more intentionally about how I parent.”
“With Mockingbird, we’ve seen the benefits for carers too. You have a much more established support network. It helps carers be better for those children, because the carer has their own safety net as well.”
Peterborough City Council is continuing to recruit foster carers across the city and encourages anyone who feels they could offer a safe, loving home – with the support of a strong local network, to get in touch.
If you are ready to find out more, please get in touch with Peterborough City Councils fostering service on 01733 868686 or email fosteringteam@peterborough@gov.uk To find out more about becoming a foster carer at Peterborough City Council’s visit: fosterwithpeterborough.org.uk